Bollocks

[hismikeness]

I've seen this word used a lot and have heard it in movies. I know there are several people from England on here, and it seems to be synonymous with a British accent... does it roughly translate to "bullshit"? Furthermore, does anyone know the etymology of the word? Is it considered a curse?

[Asmodean]

A Norwegian, but I think the meaning depends on the contents, like for instance, "Oh, bollocks!" can mean the same as "Oh, crap!" Or something like "That's a load of bollocks" can mean "That's a lot of BS"

[The Magic Pudding]

WordWeb tells me:

Verb: Make a mess of, destroy or ruin

Noun: One of the two male reproductive glands that produce spermatozoa and secrete androgens

A pulley-block at the head of a topmast

Me:  I always thought it meant balls, maybe bovine balls?

Bullshit seems a valid interpretation.

Sex Pistols Album - Never Mind The Bollocks,     ....   Bullshit fits

[DaveD]

WordWeb tells me:

Verb: Make a mess of, destroy or ruin

Noun: One of the two male reproductive glands that produce spermatozoa and secrete androgens

A pulley-block at the head of a topmast

Me:  I always thought it meant balls, maybe bovine balls?

The word has a long and winding etymology, but one of the meanings is a castrated bullock. Confusingly bullock can also mean castrated young bull.

[Tank]

Talking Bollocks would be close to spouting Bullshit IMO.

[SSY]

However, copping a bollocking means getting shouted at.

[humblesmurph]

I believe I was told by some Irish buddies that the phrase "the dog's bollocks"  means really good or the best.  They also use "bollocks" in the same way as I would use "bullshit".

[DaveD]

I believe I was told by some Irish buddies that the phrase "the dog's bollocks"  means really good or the best.  They also use "bollocks" in the same way as I would use "bullshit".

The windy road of etymology strikes again.
This use of the word comes from a children's construction kit, Meccano, which came in two versions, Box Standard (from which we get the phrase "bog standard") and Box Deluxe, which morphed into "dog's bollocks.

[Recusant]

"Bog standard" is a very interesting bit of slang.  It apparently came into general British print usage sometime in the early 80s, yet the etymology is disputed.  The Meccano set explanation is given at Wiktionary, as is its possible origin as an acronym of "British or German standard."  Personally, I like a variation of the "box standard," coming not from Meccano, but from British sports car and motorcycle enthusiast slang. the explanation of which can be found here, but I'm going to go ahead an quote the entry pretty much in its entirety:

"Bog Standard"
> This curious term had a revival earlier this week, and has wound its way
> from the news rooms into the broadsheet editorials.  In Leftpondian it has
> no meaning, leaving the suggestion that it refers to something from a bog
or
> moor.  In Rightpondian, it means "as shipped from the factory, plain and
> unadorned".
> Until last week, its usage had a neutral spin.  If anything, there was a
> slightly favourable spin on the term suggesting both prudence and
> practicality.  One purchased a car with the bog standard accessories and
> that was that.
> Its etymology is thought to spring from a mispronunciation of "box
> standard", but this has never been nailed down.  Or has it?


I don't know what constitutes "nailing down", but if you read old
British sports car and sports motorcycle magazines from the Brooklands
era you will find references to "box standard" vehicles, i.e.,
standard vehicles straight out of the maker's box, as opposed to those
which had been tweaked in various ways to go faster. It is my
impression that ignorant journalists overhearing the techie
engineering talk in the pits misheard it as "bog standard". I recall
that in motorsport magazines of the 1950s some of the elderly and more
literate contributors would pedantically insist on referring to "box
standard" when "bog" had largely become the standard. "Bog" also
suggests something homespun and agricultural, so it's likely those who
enjoyed tweaking engines to go faster enjoyed the implied sneer and
adopted "bog standard".
What were called "production racers" were meant to be "box standard"
vehicles, and there was a great deal of messing about defining how
many had to be made and offered for sale, and how much road-legal kit
they had to carry, for something to count as a production "box
standard" racer.
However, I'm not going to spend days rummaging in ancient library
archives to find exact quotations. I'm sure the only reason this "box
standard" business is not well known in dictionary circles is that
those with ink-stained fingers tend to move in quite different social
circles to those with sump-oil stained fingers. What would not be
difficult for someone with the time to do it would be to find the
primacy of "box" giving way to the co-existence of "box" and "bog" and
thence to to the supremacy of "bog". I noticed the transition decades
ago when going through old archives because of an interest in the
history of motor sport and engineering.

[Thumpalumpacus]

This thread is yet another reason to adore the English language.

[The Magic Pudding]

However, copping a bollocking means getting shouted at.

I don't suppose there's a link to being balled out (bollocks = bovine balls).

From a list of ethnic slurs

Bog Irish
    (UK, Ireland) a person of common or low class Irish ancestry.
http://www.answers.com/topic/paki

[Tank]

Bog Trotter = derogatory term for an Irish person.